The Matchmaker
by Flames101
Summary: "Emily... there's more in this world than Aaron Hotchner..." Stuck on the idea that is Aaron Hotchner, Rossi attempts to show Emily that there are other, more viable, fish in the sea. Emily/Rossi. Complete. Nominated for Best Emily/Rossi fic during the 2011 and 2012 Profiler's Choice Awards, hosted by the CCOAC forum.
1. The Proposition

**A/N:** Hey all! This is a pinch hit fic written for jltmysterylover for the CCOAC Writers of the Silver Screen Challenge. The prompt is the movie The Matchmaker, and the pairing is Emily/Rossi. This story will be about five or six chapters. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 1: The Proposition:**

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><p>Emily Prentiss winced as she received the evil eye from her co-workers for her seventieth—at least—sigh of the evening. She couldn't really help that the sight before her was completely long-suffering sigh-worthy.<p>

Currently, she was sitting at a table in a bar with three of her friends and co-workers: Rossi, Reid, and Garcia. Morgan was off somewhere strutting his stuff, but that wasn't the cause of her wistfulness. The sight that _was_ causing her some distress was that of Hotch and JJ standing and playing around the pool table.

There they were, laughing with each other, giving each other little lingering touches and taps on various parts of each other's bodies. Her eyes were glued to the scene as each of the pair took turns 'teaching' the other how to play pool. It felt like a punch in the stomach each time she saw them press their bodies together.

_God, get a room already, _she thought pettily.

On her next breathed out sigh she actually scared two of her friends away.

"Come on, Reid," Penelope suggested. "Let's um… go play some darts."

"Ok!" she heard Reid reply, as eager as she'd ever heard him and this was at the prospect of playing a sport.

She guessed she couldn't blame them. She knew she wasn't the best company that night. But she couldn't help it. Emily just could not get the fantasy of a life with Aaron Hotchner out of her mind. Not since that one drunken night they had together two months ago. He'd been in her head ever since. Even though it wasn't long after that she'd overheard a bit of conversation he'd had with Dave about that night and he'd said he'd thought she was JJ, and even though he'd apologized profusely to her for that one night, she still wanted him. And who wouldn't.

Hotch was tall, dark, and handsome. A kid person, as evidenced by his total devotion to his son. And he was a loyal person, too. Hotch would never cheat on you, never even think about leaving you. He was perfect, the ideal candidate for a boyfriend. And Emily, who'd never had that, wanted it desperately.

Too bad about him wanting JJ, instead. She watched on as JJ took Hotch's hand, leading him towards an exit without even a word's goodbye. There was no doubt in Emily's mind about what they were about to be up to.

_Sigh…_

Emily caught a movement to her right. Dave was getting up to sneak off. _Great._ Not only was the man she'd been fantasizing over for months currently on his way to fulfil his own fantasies with a certain blonde. But now all her friend's decided they didn't want anything to do with her either.

"Great," she said mostly to the air. "Am I really that horrible to be around?"

She was surprised when Dave let out a little huff of his own. Then the next thing Emily knew was he was coming around the table to take a seat directly in front of her.

"Dave," she said unsurely.

"Look, Em," Dave began. "No one likes to see you like this. You don't do mopey well."

She glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest; she leaned back in her chair attempting to stare right past him.

_Well, sorry for living,_ was her inner childish response. Come on, no one wanted to be audience to the flirtations of the guy you were totally crushing on, especially when it was with one of your closest friends. The way Emily saw it she had every right to be mopey.

"I'm not being mopey," she contradicted herself.

Rossi gave her an incredulous look. "Emily…" he began.

She put up her hands quickly for him to stop. She was not in the mood for a lecture. Emily stood up. She'd had enough for one night. "I'm just going to take me and my mopiness home."

She hadn't even taken a step when Rossi firmly replied, "Sit," giving her what she liked to call 'the Rossi stare down.' Soul piercing and all knowing that's what you believed him capable of when he looked at you liked that.

She sat down, gulping down her sudden trepidation. "What?" she said, lacking the conviction she had wanted to infuse into that one word.

"Emily… you've got to know," he said slowly; she was hanging off his every word. "There's more in this world than Aaron Hotchner."

Her instant reaction to his statement was to blush. _God, he knew what she'd done._ He knew that Hotch had just slept with her over a case of mistaken identity. That could potentially be humiliating.

And then, she let his statement sink in. The snort of incredulity that she let out was completely unladylike but she didn't care.

"Like who?" she said bluntly.

He raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a wry grin. "That's for me to know and you to find out…"

"Oh, so you're going to be my own personal matchmaker now, huh?" she said jokingly.

His face took on a solemn look. "If you'll trust me…" There was not a hint of joking anywhere on his face.

She stared at him long and hard. She already trusted him with her life. But, what about with her heart? Something in his gaze said that if she did this, if she let him help her out of this funk, then her heart would be in good hands, as well.

"I trust you," she said surely.

He stood up to go. "Good, I'll talk to you later," he said suddenly jovial.

"Wait," she called to him. He paused. "Where are you going?"

"If I'm going to do this, I've got to get an early start," he said, grinning. "You know, I've got my work cut out for me."

He laughed and she picked up a ketchup covered fry, throwing it towards him. Sadly, it missed. But she laughed, too; she truly believed he had her best interests at heart.

Now, she'd have to wait and see if best interests equalled perfect dates…

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><p>Well that's it for the first chapter. I hope you'll let me know what you think.<p>

**And here's a little note from the mod's of Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum: Tonnie and ilovetvalot are diligently working toward the nomination ballot on the second annual "Profilers Choice Awards" hosted by Chit Chat on Author's corner forum. The tentative date to release the categories, informational post and NOMINATION BALLOT is 8/28/11. One week, guys. So, put on your reading hat and look for those stories and authors you adore. **


	2. Trent Cornelius

**A/N**: Hey all, sorry for the wait. Sometimes, you've got point _a_ and you've got point _b_, but you just don't know how to connect the two. That's how I felt with this story. But, now I've got an awesome highway of an idea connecting the two and we're on our way.

So, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Criminal Minds, or the Washington Capitals. Or Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, for that matter. Also don't own the DaVinci Code or Tom hanks or Tom Cruise, either. Wow, I sure don't own a lot.

**Chapter 2: Trent Cornelius**:

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><p>"Ovechkin's got heart; he's an awesome player…"<p>

"Uh huh," Emily added in her compulsory response before tuning out her date for the next five minutes straight.

Emily was sitting in one of DC's top restaurants, a piece of the finest New York style cheesecake sitting in front of her, untouched. Not even cheesecake could salvage tonight's events for her.

It hadn't even started promising at all. From the minute she opened her front door to her date she'd wanted to laugh out loud. It got worse when her long time colleague, Agent Anderson, introduced himself as Trent Cornelius Anderson, as if she had no clue who he was—even though it was true she'd never gotten his first name.

When they arrived at his car, ready to go to the restaurant, he held open the passenger side door for her. And much to her embarrassment, and his, he bent down to help her with her seatbelt.

When they'd finally arrived at the restaurant, Emily felt a miniscule amount of relief when she was able to first, hide behind her menu, and second, behind her food.

She hadn't been able to help herself when she'd started to compare Anderson to her dream guy, either. Tall, dark and handsome, Anderson was, but that was where the similarities to Hotch seemed to end.

She had no idea what Dave was thinking when he'd called her several days after the bar incident and told her she'd had a date that weekend. He hadn't told her whom she'd be seeing even though she'd begged, pleaded, and even bargained with a few favours. Now, she knew why he didn't tell her; if he had she'd have high-tailed it to Mexico.

Currently, _Trent_ was on a long winded rant over why the Washington Capitals player, Alex Ovechkin, was a better player than the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby. It had been going on for about twenty minutes now and Agent Anderson had yet to figure out that Emily had no clue what he was talking about. She had the vague idea that he was talking about a sport—hockey, she believed—because he kept mentioning goals and defence and things like that. But that was as far as her knowledge of the sport went.

And, much to her dismay it seemed that sports was the only thing the Agent could even fathom to talk about.

Finally, when Emily could get in a word edgewise she attempted to gauge Trent's other interests.

"So, Ag—_Trent_," she caught herself. "What kind of books do you like to read? I, myself, like a wide variety of books. I read Kurt Vonnegut, and Jane Austen. I love anything by the Bronte sisters…"

She trailed off, seeing the look on his face turn blanker and blanker. "Uh…" he said, starting to look green around the edges. "I read 'The Greatest Sports Hero's of All Time'… Did you know—"

Emily's inner groan drowned out the rest of Anderson's response. Seriously, as dates went this was hell. The man couldn't seem to keep her in the conversation and seemed happy to soliloquy away. Really, she would have never guessed Anderson to be such a chatterbox.

She still couldn't fathom why Dave had thought this would be such a good idea. The man did not even seem to have the slightest interest in her. Really, she was kind of glad that Dave took an interest in her love life, since no one else seemed to want to, but this was not what she had pictured.

* * *

><p>Emily led the way to her apartment door, Anderson trailing after her. He'd insisted on walking her all the way, much to her dismay. She was more than ready for this nightmare night to end. She sure hoped he didn't expect her to invite him in, because that was so not happening. She'd had just about all she could take of touchdowns and free kicks, and other related gibberish.<p>

They stood there in that pre-ordained awkward pause—the should I or shouldn't I kiss them moment. In Emily's case it was a no brainer, a definite no way in hell moment.

"Well," Anderson prompted.

"Yeah," Emily said, eager for this to end. "Thanks uh… for the night."

His face lit up. _Oh no,_ she thought. _No, don't get the wrong idea!_

"Yeah," he said enthusiastically. "You know, I've got season tickets to the Capital's games. We could um…"

He'd trailed off, and she realized that the moment he'd started talking she'd begun to frantically search her purse for her keys. She hadn't even realized what she was doing until he stopped talking and gave her a funny look.

"Emily?" he questioned.

She threw him a big, fake smile. "Um that would be cool. But, I'll have to check my schedule. Find me at work on Monday… ok…"

By this point she'd gotten the key out of her purse and into the lock, turning it. And Anderson was looking increasingly perplexed. A moment more and she was sure she'd see the realization dawn on his face, that this, tonight, had been a complete mistake. She really didn't want to stick around for that look. So, she turned her door knob and stepped inside. "Ok… bye."

She shut the door behind her and she leaned against it, panting for breath, like she'd just escaped with her life. More like she'd escaped with her sanity.

She let out a sigh. Emily hadn't wanted to be rude. But he just wasn't getting the hint that she wasn't interested in him or his sports loving ways.

Emily threw off her expensive pumps that she'd just bought especially for the occasion. They'd cost a small fortune.

"God, what a waste," she said disgustedly.

She was on her way to her bedroom, her intentions for the night: a long bubble bath, and then a pint of ice cream, followed by bedtime. But her plans were momentarily put on hold when the doorbell suddenly rang.

"Oh no," she exclaimed out loud.

_He hadn't gotten the hint? Was she really going to have to spell it out for him?_

Emily took the few steps back to her door, pulled it open and exclaimed rather loudly, "Look, Trent, I do not want to see the Capitals, or any other team play any sport ever."

At the sound of the snicker Emily opened her eyes to see Dave standing there, a couple of brown paper bags in hand.

He pulled out a DVD from one of the bags and held it up to her. "Will you settle for me and Tom, here, instead?"

Reflexively, her hand shot to the door and she began to shut it in his face. This was the man responsible for her horrible night, the man who'd made it possible for her head to be filled with painful stories of broken noses, and lost teeth. She actually let out a growl when he had the nerve to put his foot in the way of her door closing.

"That bad, huh?" he said, too amused for his own good.

But his foot didn't seem to be budging. So, she let out a sigh and held the door open for him. If he was going to insist, she was going to insist on being horrible company.

"Worse," she answered. "Is that Tom Hanks, or Tom Cruise, 'cause I'm not really in the mood for Cruise."

He handed her the DVD and she noted that it was The DaVinci Code. _Good,_ she wasn't in the mood for a romance or a movie starring a guy with chiselled features like Anderson.

Rossi walked inside her apartment. He was looking around curiously and Emily realized that this was the first time he'd seen the inside of her place. Once he was done with his perusal, he turned to look at her, the smirk still on his face, and completely contagious.

"What were you saying when you opened the door? Something about the Capital?" he questioned.

"The Washington Capitals, it's a hockey team," she replied. "Apparently Ovechkin is better than Sidney Crosby…"

He was giving her a weird look.

"Do you want stats, because I can probably recite those on command now," she continued, laughingly.

She led the way to her living room and gestured for Rossi to take a seat, while she took the bags from his hands.

"I did bad, didn't I?" he asked contritely, still with the grin on his face.

"Very bad," she agreed. She pulled out, a bag of pre-popped, white cheddar popcorn, and two pints of ice cream, one rocky road, and one cookie dough. "But, you've just made up for it. These are all my favourites. Why do I get the feeling you knew this date was going to be disastrous?"

Rossi laughed. He held up his hands. "I had a hunch. Anderson doesn't seem like he gets out much."

She gave him a wry look. "So, why'd you set me up with him?"

"Every guy deserves a chance. And who knew, he could have been your soul-mate."

Emily laughed out loud at that. "Yeah… don't think so… but thanks for trying, Dave."

"Oh, I'm not finished," he quickly replied.

"No?" she inquired.

"You've got a date this coming Saturday," he assured.

"Dare I ask, with you?"

"Not telling," Rossi replied. At her worried look, he added. "Don't worry, this guy gets out a little more."

"Ok…" she trailed off. No use in thinking about it until it came.

"Get all this stuff ready, I'm going to change," she told her friend.

"Into something a little more comfortable?" he said, wagging his eyebrows at her.

She laughed.

"Yeah, Dave, in your dreams," she said, going inside.

* * *

><p>Emily was finding it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes open. They were coming close to the middle of the movie, but she was just so damned tired. Dave was sitting at the other end of the couch, being a complete gentleman for some reason. She let out mental huff at how far away he was. If he was closer, she could use him as a pillow.<p>

As if her glaring at him signalled him in someway, he glanced away from the TV and at her.

"Emily?" he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Why are you all the way over there?" she questioned irritably.

He gave her a perplexed look in answer.

"Come over here," she demanded. "I need your shoulder."

Slowly, he did as told. Sitting right next to her, he stiffened when she got just a little bit closer and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Better," she murmured.

It took him a second for him to relax, and she felt his arm go around her body, pulling her even closer, which she didn't mind one bit. Now, she was even more comfortable.

The warmness of his body was sending her even faster into dreamland. And when she inhaled deeply, his scent of spice was all together very manly and very comforting.

The sounds of the movie were soon lost on her, as her eyelids finally closed. All she was aware of was the sound of her breathing and his breathing in sync. And then… nothing, she was fast asleep.

She didn't know how long had passed, but, eventually she was dragged out of a very good dream, something about Hotch and Rossi and her all in a very tiny room together, so tiny that she hadn't been able to help just where her hand landed every now and then.

Emily was vaguely aware of being moved. She was being brought up against something… a chest, she believed, and then she knew she was being lifted into the air. She was too tired to open her eyes to see who the mover was.

And then the next thing she knew she was placed, ever so gently, onto a fluffy surface. Her bed, she realized.

There was a moment of complete silence before she felt a pair of lips, if she wasn't mistaken, being pressed to her cheek in a soft, gentle kiss.

"Night, princess," she heard Rossi murmur.

"Night Dave," she replied.

And then that was it.

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><p>Well that's it for now. Round two for Emily should be up a lot sooner than this chapter. I won't tell you who her date is with, but it is a character from the show. So, let the guesses commence, lol.<p>

Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing: **canny-bairn **_(I know exactly what you mean. Emily/Hotch is, I think, the only pairing that I cannot read. And, yeah, I'm pretty sure it's because I'm Jotch fan, too; oh and it's really hard for me to read JJ/Rossi); _**Marauder-In-Disguise; DracoMalfoysSweetGirl92** _(thx for taking a sneak peak at this)_; **kdzl; SkySydfan24; miaa29; greengirl82** _(thx for giving this a chance)_; **and angel85qcca** _(a very tiny bit of JJ/Hotch, but yeah… don't worry, I haven't seen the movie either. This story is just using the title)._

Thanks again!

**Oh and just a little note from the moderators at Chit Chat on Author's Corner: The Second Annual Profiler's Choice Awards are up & running at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. The nomination ballot IS available! Please, please, please READ the rules and category descriptions before casting your noms. First day to send us noms is 9/1! HAVE A BALL! We're SUPER EXCITED!**


	3. Suspect Behaviour

**A/N:** Hey all. Just wanted to say thanks for the amazing response for this story! Hope you enjoy this little chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 3: Suspect Behaviour:**

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><p>Emily stared at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a soft, violet, long sleeved sweater and dark blue jeans. When Rossi had told her that she'd need to dress a bit down for this week's date, she'd been pretty happy.<p>

All week long she'd done everything but twist Rossi's arm into telling her who her date would be this time around. But he still wouldn't budge.

On one occasion of her 'pestering him'—his words, not her own—they'd been interrupted by Hotch. That had been awkward to say the least. He'd wandered over just as Emily had begun to offer those favours again and he'd asked what was going on. She had just been about to say nothing when Dave spoke up and told him the whole story.

When Rossi had finished, all Hotch had to say was, "Blind dates? Really?" Like they were something he would never, ever consider. She'd wanted to yell at Hotch and say, "Well, sorry for living. We can't all find our perfect, blonde soul mates in the office next door!" But all she said was, "Yeah," and shrugged her shoulders. He'd walked away then and Emily let out her held back groan. "Can this get any better?" she'd asked Rossi sarcastically and had walked away before he could respond.

So, now that she was ready, she waited patiently for her date to arrive. Looking at her watch, she noticed he was on the late side. Emily let out a sigh, shrugging to herself. Maybe he wouldn't show up at all. That would be fine by her. After that encounter with Hotch she'd decided she wouldn't mind becoming a spinster with forty cats. Sergio would sure appreciate the company.

Just as she was about to give up on this guy—he was forty minutes late—there was a loud banging at her door.

_Late and rude,_ Emily thought to herself. _Thanks Dave…_

Emily stomped towards the door, already in a bit of a mood. She was so ready to give this guy a piece of her mind and send him packing. She could think of better things to do that night. Doctor Who was on, for instance.

She swung open the door and came face to face with the roguishly handsome Mick Rawson. Her mouth dropped open and his impish grin grew.

"Well, hello to you too, beautiful," he said in his heavy accent when she didn't say anything.

"Agent Rawson?" she said in surprise.

"Mick, dear, this is a date, isn't it?" he said, amused.

"You?" she said completely aghast.

"Dave could see the chemistry we had, wise-man that one," Rawson said gleefully. "So, he called me up, said you were in need of some assistance—"

"Assistance?" she said, suddenly alarmed.

"Yeah, said you needed help getting over your boss or something…"

She couldn't hear the rest of what he said, because suddenly she was seeing red, and all she could think about was the various ways she was going to torture Rossi before she killed him.

"Shall we?" Rawson asked, rather loudly, getting her attention.

"Shall we, what?" she said bluntly.

He gave her the grin again. "You're here, I'm here, let's go out," he suggested.

She considered him for a moment. He was more than good looking and he had the British accent that was to die for. What could she lose if she went out with him? Apparently, her dignity had flown the coop along time ago. Not much else was holding her back.

She let out a sigh, grabbing her sparkly clutch off the side table and said, "Lead the way."

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><p>Emily found herself laughing, once again, at another one of Mick's jokes, this time a particularly crude one. If someone had told her that she'd be having a good time on a date with the legendary and obviously slightly egotistical Mick Rawson she would have laughed in their faces. But surprisingly, she was.<p>

He'd taken her to an amusement park located just outside of the city's limits. That, in itself, had surprised her. She would have never taken him for a Ferris wheel kind of guy. She'd always thought his type of fun would be had in a bar and at his place later on. But no, she was learning that Mick Rawson was full of surprises and she'd soon find out that there was more to be had later on.

Emily smiled as she listened to him tell a story about his early years, growing up in Great Britain. She realized she was actually having a great time. _Shocker._ She would have to thank Dave profusely for this. He definitely knew what he was doing this time around.

"So," she said conversationally. "Do you ever think about going back?"

He didn't answer right away. They'd been walking around, talking nonchalantly. It had been pretty easy going. Now as she glanced at him, he seemed suddenly tense, alert. For what, she did not know. Emily scanned ahead, trying to see what had stiffened the man in front of her. But she saw nothing.

"Mick?"

He glanced at her as if seeing her for the first time. The frown on his face lasted all of three seconds before it was replaced by one of his trademark mischievous looks.

"Ready to have some fun?" he questioned her, grinning.

Her mind slow, her first thought was, 'Uh, that's what I thought we were having…'

When he leaned down and lifted his pant leg to pull out a gun, she gasped. Her second, quick thought was, 'Crap, he's going to kill me!'

But when he pressed it into her hand and pulled out his own gun, which had been hidden under his jacket, she had no idea what to think next.

"You got your badge on ya?" he asked her quickly.

Confused, she answered, "Never leave home without it."

"Such a good Agent," he cooed, as if she were a baby or a dog.

And suddenly she wasn't having a bit of fun. Before she could demand answers he continued, "See that man, over my shoulder, the one in a tie-dye shirt?"

"Yeah?"

"We've been tracking him for a few days now. He's involved in an international sex slave scam," Mick let her know. "We lost track of him, but we had a hunch he'd stay close. We're going to arrest him."

"What?" Emily exclaimed.

"You're my back-up, Agent Prentiss," Mick said, calmly. "Let's go."

She had barely any time to process, when all of a sudden he was running ahead and all she could do was run after him. The only thought in her head, now, 'Oh, I'm so going to kill Dave!'

* * *

><p>Emily hobbled the last few steps to her front door. Her shoes were in her hand, they were garbage now, the heel of one had come off. They were her favourite pair of ankle boots, too. <em>God, she hurt all over.<em>

It hadn't been an easy take down. The tie-dye man had had a friend with him and she'd had to go toe-to-toe with the guy. Needless to say, she'd won, but not without a few parting shots.

Whatever possessed the man to take her with him on an obvious patrol, she did not know. And would never know. After two squad cars showed up to take the two away, she'd insisted on him taking her home right away. He'd wanted to go to a bar.

The whole ride back had been spent with her silently fuming. She really wanted to chew him out, but was afraid he'd dump her out on the side of the road.

When they'd arrived in front of her building, she'd had her seat belt off and door open even before the car had come to a complete stop. She left him there without another word. If she ever saw him again she'd probably punch him the face.

Emily winced as she reached into her purse, searching for her keys with raw scraped hands. When the door suddenly opened, she jumped back in surprise. There stood David Rossi, grinning from ear to ear. She was pleased to see the grin fade when he took in her ruffled exterior.

"What happened? Did he do this?" Dave started angrily. "I'm going to kill him!"

He made a move to go past her, but she put a hand to his chest, pushing him inside. He stumbled backwards, and she followed him in, shutting the door behind them.

His concern for her had her rethinking her want to kill him. She'd settle on getting some first aid out of him instead of his blood and tears.

"How'd you get inside?" Emily wanted to know.

He was still frowning at her concernedly. "Garcia gave me your spare key."

She frowned; she was going to have to have a talk with the quirky analyst.

Instead of responding, she limped along, heading for her bedroom en-suite. That's where she kept her first aid kit. Dave followed along.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Rossi demanded. "You're hurt. I need to know if I need to be killing anyone tonight."

"By anyone, do you mean me, by chance?" she threw back over her shoulder, entering her bedroom.

"What do you mean?" he replied.

They reached her bathroom and she turned to him. "I'm not sure what I did to you, Dave, but first you try to bore me to death, and then you outright try to kill me!" she stated rather loudly.

Emily snatched the kit from out beneath the sink. He grimaced at her and took the kit from her hands.

"Obviously you've hit your head," Dave commented. "Sit down, tell me what happened and I'll fix you up."

She gave a little huff, but did as told. Emily sat down on the edge of her Jacuzzi tub as he opened up her kit. He pulled some stuff out and then knelt before her. He began to dab at the scrape on her cheek as she told her tale of woe.

By the end of it, he was laughing out loud. She couldn't blame him. As she told her story, she'd listened to the absurdity of it all, she wanted to laugh too. But it hurt too much to do so.

"I… am… so sorry… Emily," he said between chuckles.

"No worries," she let him off the hook. "Just promise me you aren't trying to kill me."

He held his left hand up in the air, smiling widely. "Scouts honour."

He finished bandaging up the scrapes on her hands as he added, "Anywhere else?"

She quickly assessed herself. She hurt everywhere but there was a burning pain on her left arm. "Upper arm," she indicated.

He took a quick glance and she could tell he was trying to hide his cringe. "Why didn't you get him to take you to an emergency room?"

"Are you kidding me? I was not going anywhere else with that… that… toad," she said annoyed.

He chuckled at that. "Ok, well, your uh… going to have to take your... uh sweater… uh off if you want me to take a good look at it."

It wasn't her imagination, David Rossi was flustered. She grinned at him and he frowned.

"I mean, if you don't want me to take you to a professional, that is," he quickly offered.

"I'm sure I'll be fine in your very capable hands," she assured amusement in her voice. "But you've got to help me out of it."

He suddenly went rigid and she held up her bandaged hands to show him she very much needed the help.

"I'm out of commission, remember?" she added.

He relaxed visibly and said, "Oh, ok."

Dave grabbed hold of her hem and tugged up. She lifted her arms up, painfully, to make it easier.

"Thanks," she said, once it'd come off.

When she heard his strangled gasp, she exclaimed, "Is it that bad?"

But he wasn't looking at her arm. She followed his eyes to see they were focussed squarely on her bare mid-section. Heat flushed her face, just realizing she was sitting there in nothing but jeans and a black, lacy bra.

"What?" she murmured, self-consciously.

"Emily, you should see a doctor," he murmured worriedly.

She stared down and saw her front was covered in black and blue bruises. "Son of a—" she cursed.

"You might have a cracked rib, you should get checked out," he informed her. "God, I'm sorry, Em."

She let out a sigh. "I know. Can you help me with my arm first?"

He nodded solemnly and went to work.

"Why can't finding someone to spend your life with be easy?" she said wistfully.

He spared her a wry grin. "It's not?"

She chuckled. "No, its not. I mean how hard is it to find someone who likes the things I like, who won't take my crap, who'll take care of me…"

Emily trailed off, realizing what she was saying sounded a lot like someone she already knew.

Rossi stopped his ministrations to take hold of her gaze with his own. She stared into his dark eyes; it was like he was trying to tell her something with that one look. She'd almost had it deciphered when he suddenly broke it.

"All done," he announced.

"All done?" she croaked out.

He stood up. "Yep, let's get you to an emergency room."

"O… ok," she stuttered at his abruptness.

"But, first, let's find you a shirt, can't go out like that," he joked. "You'll give quite a few people a heart attack."

* * *

><p>It was morning when Rossi finally dropped her back off at her apartment. Turns out she was right to go. She had three cracked ribs. No wonder it had hurt to breathe. The doctors had told her to take it easy. No field work. The best part was she couldn't wait to tell Hotch how she'd received her injuries come Monday morning. <em>Not!<em>

_Oh well… worries for Monday morning,_ she told herself.

Dave followed her inside, wordlessly. She led the way to her bedroom too tired to do much.

"What do you sleep in?" Dave asked her innocently.

She thought about it, pyjamas would be too hard to manoeuvre right now. "Uh… I've got a pink night gown, second drawer of the dresser.

She watched him turn and go through various garments until he found what she was talking about. Then he came towards her and began to help her out of her shirt and then her jeans. The night gown floated over her head next. Somehow, getting undressed and redressed by her friend and colleague did not seem weird. Still she felt the need to joke.

"You gonna be here every night to help me out?"

His eyes met hers, his smile was polite, but his eyes were intense. "If you want."

Her smile faltered and her breath hitched. She didn't know what to say, so she began to climb into bed to hide her flustered-ness.

When he basically began to tuck her in, she asked, "Why were you here tonight?"

He shrugged. "Had a feeling you'd need me tonight," he answered. "Guess I was right."

"Yeah, thanks."

"The next one will be better, Emily," he said reassuringly.

"Next one?" she inquired.

"Next date, this Saturday," he said, obviously.

"Another one?" she said suddenly panicked.

"Yeah, I said I'd help you get over Hotch, I meant it," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I swear this guy is your average, everyday, all around good guy."

"No offence Dave, but so far your matchmaking skills suck."

He chuckled. "I'll just have to step it up then."

She grimaced, that's what she was afraid of.

He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. She was surprised when he pulled back how the sensation lingered.

"Sleep well," he said, getting up to go.

"Bye," she murmured sleepily.

* * *

><p>Well that's if for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed. I've only watched a couple episodes of Suspect Behaviour, so if I've got anything wrong about Mick that's my excuse.<p>

Another blast from Emily's past coming up.

Oh and I forgot to mention last chapter, _Trent Cornelius_, the name was courtesy of my sister, she suggested the name Trent. And **jekkah** suggested the name Cornelius, and it was too perfect to pass up. So, thanks to both of you!

Thanks to everyone who's reading and thanks to everyone who's leaving me lovely reviews: **Marauder-In-Disguise; ChocoboMuffin**s _(thx for the huge compliment! There might be a tid-bit of JJ/Hotch in the next chapter);_ **HansonFanGermany** _(thx!);_ **greengirl82 **(_thx! Glad I could be some help. Lol. I'd love to read what I inspired…); _**angel85qcca; canny-bairn; p950000; Jotchprossi; Longbourn22** (_I love hockey too. I'm a Dion Phaneuf fan!);_ **Bren Gail; miaa29; jekkah** _(thanks for the name!_); **and DracoMalfoysSweetGirl92.**

Thanks again. I'll try to update real soon!

**Oh and just a little note from the moderators at Chit Chat on Author's Corner: The Second Annual Profiler's Choice Awards are up & running at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. The nomination ballot IS available! Please, please, please READ the rules and category descriptions before casting your noms. First day to send us noms is 9/1! HAVE A BALL! We're SUPER EXCITED!**


	4. Survival

**A/N:** Hey all! Here's the next chapter. I've postponed the actual date chapter until chapter 5. This one's all about Emily and two specific men. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds (Season 7 premiere's Sept 21!).

**Chapter 4: Survival:**

* * *

><p>Emily slipped the last few pages of her report into the case file, letting out a massive sigh of relief. She was done for the night, finally. Now, she could go home and relax… maybe have a bubble bath, some champagne… She reasoned she needed a nice quiet night before a sure to be hectic third date set-up by Dave.<p>

She really was thankful for Dave's help. She'd come to realize, in the few weeks since Dave had made the proposition to her, that her attachment to her boss was very unhealthy. But, she had her doubts that Dave could find her someone that wasn't going to bore her death or kill her to death. Anything outside of attempting to kill her would be nice.

Emily got out of her desk chair and made her way towards Hotch's office. The last thing she needed to do for the night was drop the file on his desk.

Just the hint of Hotch's name in her mind had her thinking wistfully. She let out another sigh. _Why couldn't she find someone distinguished and handsome like Hotch? Someone who was good with kids and loyal?_

She really wanted a man who could put a smile on her face, make her laugh when she needed, and know when a hug would do just the trick. She was beginning to think finding that man was impossible. And she was just about ready to live her life as a cat lady.

She approached Hotch's door and found it closed. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door and waited for an answer.

"Come in," came his deep voice.

Exhaling, she opened the door. He, of course, was writing away in a file. She rolled her eyes at his typical behaviour. _Always working…_

"Hotch, here's my report on the Mueller case," she said quickly.

When he looked up at her with those dark, unreadable eyes she approached his desk quickly, dropped the file, and turned to go. She had to get out of there.

"Have a good night," she blurted quickly.

Emily couldn't remember a time they'd been completely alone together since the drunken night they'd shared. Well, there was one time, but he'd been busily apologizing over and over again, that at the time she wanted nothing more than to never be alone with the man again. And she'd made sure to keep it that way, afraid to get a repeat of the extreme apologies. No one wanted to hear someone say sorry for a night they'd thought was pretty amazing.

"Emily," Hotch cut off her retreat.

She turned around slowly, silently cursing her slowness. Emily lifted her eyes off the floor to meet his and right away thought, _Oh no. Come on! _He was going to bring it up, _again._

"Hotch—" she started to protest.

"Emily." He shook his head. "We need to talk."

She laughed nervously. "About what?"

He gave her a knowing look.

"No," she shot him down. "Let's not. You already said you were sorry," _–many, many times—_ "I'm good. You're good with JJ, right?"

Hotch's eyes lit up. _Oh yeah, he was definitely good with JJ._

He nodded.

"We're good, Hotch," she assured wholeheartedly. _No more, please, I can't take another sorry…_

"Ok," he gave in.

She turned to go again, with a sense of relief and finality in her heart. When he said her name again, though, she let out a little scream inside her head. This time when Hotch looked at her, he seemed almost amused.

"Yes…"

"Did you really," he started, "go out with Agent Anderson?"

Emily looked at him in disbelief, and then let out a groan as she walked straight out of Hotch's office without a word.

_That's the last time she ever broke the FBI fraternization rules…_

* * *

><p>The sound of rushing water was literally music to Emily's ears. She was sitting on the side of her tub, waiting for it to fill. She sprinkled in some bath salts and actually giggled as they fizzed. She was going to enjoy this bath. Nothing but warm, soothing water, and an old copy of Pride and Prejudice—if she couldn't have an epic romance in real life, she'd just have to read about it.<p>

When the doorbell rang a second later, she almost screamed out loud in frustration. _Was the whole world against her?_

She threw on a robe and stormed to her front door. If it was anything less then an emergency she was going to so chew them out. She used the peep hole to see if it was even worth opening.

_Dave?_ she thought, confused. _Ok, if he was here to check on her after another date well he'd gotten his days mixed up._

Letting out a sigh, she opened up her door to a smiling Rossi. She wondered briefly, _what was he so happy about?_

"If you're here to check on me," she said, cutting him off when he was obviously going to speak. "The date's tomorrow."

He just kept smiling. "I know that Em, I'm the one who set it up for you, remember?"

_Yeah, who could forget that… _

"So, what are you doing here, then?" she questioned him uncertainly.

He pushed past her, inviting himself in. She let out another sigh, resigning herself to not having a bath tonight, and shut the door behind them. Emily turned around to face him only to find him not there anymore.

Rolling her eyes at his presumption, she found him sitting comfortably on her living room sofa. Before she could say anything, she watched as his eyes roamed her body from the tips of her toes, up along her bare legs that disappeared under the too short robe, up to rest a moment extra on the open 'v' of her robe, to finally meet her eyes in an intense gaze. He wasn't smiling anymore, she noticed. Nope, he was now watching her like he wanted to… eat her.

Emily should have felt outraged at him blatantly checking her out. But she felt oddly… aroused. _But that was completely ridiculous; this was Dave she was talking about. Her good friend. Not a… a… potential boyfriend._

"Nice… robe," he practically purred.

Emily gulped down her sudden trepidation. _Was her body really trying to tell her that she was attracted to David Rossi? No… no, not possible._ "Careful Dave… I might start to think you're trying to sexually harass me…" she attempted to joke.

His gaze only grew more… hungry. "I think you'd like my type of harassment…"

They held each others gazes a moment longer. In that moment, though, there was nothing more she wanted to do then slip that robe off and climb right on top of him.

She shook her head from the images she'd suddenly created of the two of them and tried to laugh off the tension, instead. "Funny Dave…" She took a seat on the couch next to him, grabbing a sofa cushion to press protectively against her racing heart. "Now, what are you doing here?"

It wasn't that the fantasies of Dave were exactly new to her. Oh, she'd dreamed about getting some Italian loving on numerous occasions. But they were just fantasies… your fantasies never came true. She knew that pretty well now.

His smirk returned and the air officially cleared of the sexual tension. "I came to equip you with your very own date survival kit."

"Huh?" she said so eloquently.

He lifted a bag off the floor that she hadn't noticed before. "Like you said, I suck at the matchmaking, so far. I've left you defenceless against these guys. I'm here to give you this as a just in case…"

"Ok…" Emily said unsurely.

He pulled the first item out of the bag and handed it over to her. She took the little box from his hands, her curiosity getting the best of her, and eagerly examined it.

"An IPOD?" she questioned him.

He pulled something else out of his plastic bag. "An IPOD shuffle," he corrected. And he handed her what he'd just pulled out. "With these you can listen to music and your date will never know."

The second package contained tiny wireless ear buds.

She still wasn't following. "All right…"

He gave her a wry grin. "To help keep the boredom away when all he talks about are the Blackhawks and Red Wings..."

She laughed out loud at his clever idea. "Nice, thanks."

Dave shook his head. "Not done yet." His hand disappeared back into the bag and pulled something else out.

When he handed her the small package she actually laughed heartily. "Band-aids?"

It was a small, travel size package of Band-aid brand bandages.

"Just in case," he chuckled. Reaching in, he pulled out a small aerosol can. "But, hopefully using _this_ will keep you from needing those."

He handed her the can and she was unsurprised to see that it was mace. She shook her head at the man sitting on her couch, not able to help her grin.

"Or… you know, you can just find me my perfect man…"

"I'm on it, I swear," he reassured. "In the meantime… you'll need something to put your survival kit in…"

She was about to say, 'what do you mean', when he showed her exactly what he meant. The very last thing he pulled out of his bag was a small clutch purse, wine colored, in a mottled pattern. He put it in her hands and it took her breath away.

"Dave, this is gorgeous…" she breathed out. Her eyes were literally glazing over at how beautiful it was, and how expensive it was sure to be. She found herself pushing it back on him. "I can't take this… it's too much, Dave."

He held his hands up. "It's yours Emily. Enjoy it."

"But… but…" she stuttered. "It's way too extravagant. I've got old purses that I can use."

"Emily," he implored gently. "Take it, it's a gift. Think of it as my sorry for Anderson and Rawson if you want. Either way, I bought it for you."

She looked up from his outstretched hands and up into his eyes. They were telling her something. They seemed to be saying, "It's all for you, Emily."

But that couldn't be right. She blinked a couple of times; the look was still there. She sat back, trying to distance herself, trying to decipher his true meaning.

"Um… ok," she took it from his hands. "Thanks."

He slapped his hands down on his knees and stood up. "Well, I just wanted to give you that… I'll see you on Monday."

Emily followed him to the door, somewhat in a daze. "O… ok…"

Dave opened her front door and stepped out. He turned around to face her with a smile. When he leaned into her and pressed a soft kiss on her cheek she was wide awake for it. This time his kiss not only left a lingering sensation but a burn that was travelling throughout her entire body.

When he pulled back, she found it extremely hard to mask her surprised expression.

"For good luck," he explained.

And then he was gone. Emily shut the door behind him, only to lean up against it. _What just happened?_ Her mind was a complete haze. She urged her mind to catch up to her speeding heart… but, she just couldn't figure it out.

* * *

><p>That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed. Not sure if they've invented wireless ear buds yet. If not, well they did in this story. Lol.<p>

Thanks to everyone who's taking the time to read and to those who are taking the time to review: **Longbourn22 **_(Viper, hmm…);_ **miaa29; HansonFanGermany; DracoMalfoysSweetGirl92; Jotchprossi18; hot4booth; greengirl82; p95000; and anlemi.**

Thanks again! I'll try to update soon.

**Oh and just a little note from the moderators at Chit Chat on Author's Corner: The Second Annual Profiler's Choice Awards are up & running at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. The nomination ballot IS available! Please, please, please READ the rules and category descriptions before casting your noms. First day to send us noms is 9/1! HAVE A BALL! We're SUPER EXCITED!**


	5. Realizations

**A/N:** Hey all, we're coming close to the end. Thanks to everyone who's been reading along. There should be two chapters at most left. So, hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 5: Realizations:**

* * *

><p><em>Oh God,<em> Emily thought, disbelievingly. _What the hell did Dave get me into this time?_

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Detective Andy Cooper, from the New York Police Department, cried into her shoulder. "I don't usually do this."

_What?_ Emily wondered. _Take a girl out, then ask her to join him in a hotel room. And then when she refuses, sit down defeated on a park bench to sob._

Emily awkwardly patted his knee. "I know, I know."

"I really, really wanted to go out with you," Detective Cooper sobbed.

She had known something had been awry when she opened her door to find the married detective from her past on her doorstep. He really had seemed ok at first, taking her out to a great restaurant, chatting eagerly and all that. But then, he let it slip that he and his wife had separated because she wasn't sure she still loved him. And then he let it slip a second time, and then a third, and so on, until Emily realized that with her was not where the good detective wanted to be.

And that was ok with Emily, because she was ready to call this whole thing off with Dave and his matchmaking services. She'd been trying too hard and she knew she'd angered some greater being. So, after tonight, she was going to lay low and let their anger die down and maybe in the end they'd see that all she ever wanted was someone to share her life with.

"Sure, sure," Emily stated, half-heartedly.

"But Dana," he practically squeaked out—that was his wife's name, she'd garnered—"I've loved her since middle school. I don't know what to do without her, Emily."

She let out a sigh. _Was there no normal man left in existence?_

The man continued to cry embarrassingly. She was sure once he realized how he was acting he'd never want to see her again. So, this date was a bust either way you looked at it.

Emily was kind of tired of getting the royal pain treatment from these guys. And all she'd done so far was sit down and taken. No more.

"Listen Cooper," Emily started sternly. "You need to sit up and grow a pair."

He looked up at her with confused eyes, sniffling unattractively. "W…What"

"Man, instead of being here with me, crying over the fact that I won't sleep with you and that your wife left you, why don't you go fight for her?"

"I did fight for her," he replied angrily.

Emily stood up, preparing to ditch him. "Did you really? God, sometimes Cooper, you need to go out there and give it your all and go get what you want because… because…"

_What was she saying?_ She was giving him advice that she herself hadn't followed in a long time. The problem was did she even know what she really wanted?

She let out a sigh, running out of steam. She sat back down next to the stunned detective.

"Cooper," she said gently. "Do you know what you want?"

Another sniffle. "I want… Dana…"

She gave his shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "Then go to her make her love you. Every girl likes a bit of romance, even if you've been married for ten years. That's all she wants…"

"You think?"

"Yes," she said heartily. "All anyone wants is to be loved…"

He nodded, standing up. "Thanks Emily," he said happily. "I'm going home."

Cooper started to walk away leaving her to sit on the bench alone. She stared off after him, irritated; he had been her ride home.

"Oh no, you go ahead," she called after him. "I'll walk. I only live halfway across town."

Emily let out a sigh. Standing up, she prepared herself to find a cab or a payphone to get her home. Luckily, he hadn't left her in a horrible part of town, just an unfamiliar one.

She shrugged to herself. _I'll just use this time to figure out what I do want…_

Because she was definitely beginning to think that Hotch wasn't the be all and end all of men in this world.

* * *

><p>This time when she returned home and found Dave sitting in her favourite chair, reading one of her books from her many shelves, she was not surprised.<p>

"Hey," she greeted, as she made her way from the living room to her bedroom.

He, of course, set the book aside and began to follow her inside.

"So?" he questioned.

She opened and closed her dresser drawers, looking for her favourite pair of PJ's. She avoided looking at Dave, because, really, she wasn't sure how to feel around the man.

During her walk/cab ride home she'd thought long and hard about the past few weeks, dates and all. And she'd come to the strange realization that the only time she'd actually enjoyed herself was the times she'd spent _after_ the dates, with Dave.

It could have meant nothing; it could have meant everything, either way she hadn't quite gotten farther in her revelations.

"So," she said, finding exactly what she was looking for and pulled them out. She found herself suddenly stripping in front of him. "I didn't die of boredom…"

She looked at him briefly to see he was suddenly watching her very carefully. _Ok…_ how come the first time she'd taken off her clothes in front of him it'd felt pretty innocent and this time… well, Dave was looking at her pretty hungrily, if she wasn't mistaken.

"That's good," he stated, half-heartedly, mind elsewhere, apparently. "He didn't try anything, did he?"

Emily slipped on the faded pyjama bottoms—light blue, with white sheep dotted here and there.

"Oh, he tried something," Emily assured. Dave's eyes widened at that. "And then he proceeded to burst into tears when I turned him down."

"What?"

She chuckled at his reaction, as she slipped on an ancient, white tank top over her head. Once dressed, she had the courage to look at him again, only to see that the same look was still on his face. Emily quickly looked away when she felt her skin start to heat.

This was completely messed up. She was not supposed to be having these particular urges towards the person who'd essentially become her best friend this past month.

"Emily?"

His voice broke through her conflicted thoughts, drawing her eyes up to meet his own. For what seemed like forever they held each other's gazes, thoughts and feelings seeming to be exchanged in one look.

_What do you want, Emily?_

_Someone to love, someone to love me…_

_I could be that someone…_

It's what his look had said after her date with Agent Rawson, the one that she hadn't been quite able to decipher back then. Had she really cracked the code this time around?

Again, he was the one to break the hypnotic trance they'd been in. "So, tell me, what did you to do to the good detective to set him bawling?"

Emily set out a sigh—for so many reasons—climbing into her giant bed.

She patted her bed, smiling. "Let me tell you a story about Detective Andy Cooper and his middle school sweetheart, Dana," she started in her fairy tale voice. She paused while she waited for him to climb up onto the other side of the bed. "It's a tale of a great love but also a great evil, when the wicked witch of the west, Emily Prentiss, sets her sights on the detective. Bad things will befall them all…"

Emily really enjoyed the sound of his laugh and they lay back together side by side, relaxing, as she recounted her night's events.

When she finished, he leaned up on one elbow and looked down over her, a wry look on his face, to say, "Seriously?"

She laughed. "Yeah."

"God, do my apologies even count anymore?" he asked dryly, flopping back onto his back.

This time she leaned up on her elbow to lean over her friend, smiling. "They do."

"In that case," he paused, reaching up a hand to tenderly push back her hair behind her ear. His fingers grazed her cheek in the process and she couldn't help the little shiver that escaped her body's control. "I'm sorry."

She really didn't know what exactly pushed her to do what she did next. Maybe it was the loneliness she'd felt for so long, or maybe it was the silent eye conversation they'd just had. Either one could be blamed for her leaning down and pressing her lips against her best friend's.

It only took Dave a second to respond. One minute his arms were by his side, the next, they were wrapped around her body, pulling her closer to his chest, as he kissed her like there was no tomorrow.

She opened up to him completely and was ready to do a whole lot more than just kissing when she felt him start to pull away.

"Emily," he murmured against her lips.

"No… talk," she replied, continuing to nip at his lips.

He chuckled. "Emily… we've got to… stop."

"Why?" she replied, unheeding of his words.

For the first time in a long time she felt truly right. This was where she was supposed to be.

"I've got another date set up for you," he told her.

Those words stopped her cold. She pulled away from him. _What was she doing, kissing him, when all he could think about was setting her up with another random guy? Had she misinterpreted everything?_

"I don't want another date," she told him, coldly. "I'm done."

He frowned at her. "You wanted me to help you get over Hotch."

She sat up. "I am so over and done with him," she assured.

And she truly was, all she thought about when she thought of Hotch was, 'Enjoy, JJ.'

"Thanks to you," she added. "So, there, I'm cured."

"Emily," Dave tried again.

"I can't do this anymore, Dave. I know you were trying to help… but every time I realized that the guy wasn't for me it just made me all the more sadder. And now—"

She stopped herself abruptly. She was about to say, 'And now… you're shooting me down, too. You, who I started to hope for…'

She was close to tears and was ready to just be alone.

"Emily," he said, voice gentle, but insistent. It took his hand on her cheek to get her to meet his gaze. "Do you trust me?"

How could she not when he looked at her with those caring eyes.

"Yeah."

"One more, ok?" he stated calmly.

She nodded. She didn't know why she agreed. She really didn't want to go out with anyone else. Suddenly, all she wanted, all she could ever want was sitting right in front of her. But, did he want her? That was the new question.

"Ok…"

"Good," he said, demurely. "I'm going to go."

He got off of her bed, hesitating when he came around to her side for a moment before he bent down to give her one last kiss. And then he was gone, leaving her more than a little dazed and confused.

* * *

><p>Well that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed. One or two more chapter left!<p>

Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing: **p95000; racegirl17; Longbourn22** _(Lucky. I would love to have that name. I'm actually going to do a Criminal Minds style Pride and Prejudice sometime in the near future__**)**_**; ChocoboMuffins; miaa29; romiross; DracoMalfoysSweetGirl **_(sorry, going to make you wait just a bit longer. Lol);_ **and jekkah **_(yay!)._

PS. Detective Cooper is the guy from the Season 3 Finale, that was hitting on Emily during the episode.


	6. Anticipation

**A/N:** Hey all! I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's not the last, but close to it! Please let me know what you think! Thanks!

And only a few more days:

**From ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969, the two lovely moderators at the forum Chit Chat on Authors Corner: The Second Annual Profiler's Choice Awards are up & running at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. The nomination ballot IS available! Please, please, please READ the rules and category descriptions before casting your noms. Time is running out. The LAST day to submit your ballot is October 15, 2011, 11:59pm EDT. Remember, without you guys there'd be no awards! HAVE A BALL! We're SUPER EXCITED!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 6: Anticipation:**

* * *

><p>Emily began to pack her things into her briefcase, ready to go home after a long day of consultations. It was Friday, and as of that exact moment they were case free, which meant she had the entire weekend to herself. Well, not completely to herself. She had that 'one more' date tomorrow night, set up by Dave. And even though the last three had nearly killed her, she had a really good feeling about this one. A feeling of anticipation and expectation… and even giddiness that she did not feel before the last three. Nope, tomorrow night would be good.<p>

It was pretty silent in the bullpen—she was one of the last to go home—so it was easy to hear a door creak open from above. Emily looked up, hoping to see Dave exiting his office; instead, she found JJ leaving Hotch's. She promptly looked down.

She didn't have much to say to JJ these days. Emily didn't believe it had much to do with the fact that she was now outright dating Hotch. No, Emily had gotten over her crush on the man—her heart didn't go pitter-patter at the sight of him anymore—so it wasn't that that kept them at a distance. Emily didn't know exactly what it was keeping the two friend's apart.

"Hey."

Startled, Emily looked up from her desk to find JJ standing at Reid's desk, smiling at her. And it wasn't her imagination when she noticed that the smile was definitely on the nervous side.

Emily smiled tentatively back. "Hey," she echoed.

"Heading out?" Emily nodded. "Got any big plans for the weekend?"

Emily covered up her frown. _Did she know about Dave's matchmaking assistance? Did Hotch tell her about her date with Cornelius? Probably._

"Yeah, actually," she began in an airy tone. "I've got a date."

"That's great, Em!" JJ said, _sounding_ genuinely happy for her.

Emily looked up at her suspiciously. There was something in her eyes… "Oh God," she exclaimed. "You know?"

JJ winced. "Um… yeah. Hotch told me…"

"He told you? Why would he tell you?" Emily said incredulously.

_Why wasn't JJ mad?_ Why didn't she look like she was about to slap her in the face? She'd slept with her boyfriend! Granted, it was a drunken one night stand, before they'd gotten together, and Hotch _had_ believed her to be JJ. _But still…_

"There aren't any secrets between me and Aaron," JJ explained. "I've… uh I've kind of been avoiding you…"

Emily looked at her, surprised that she'd answered Emily's question of why they'd been distant towards each other lately. They'd been so close at one point, like best friends.

Emily looked up at the sheepish looking JJ and said, "How come?"

JJ inhaled a breath before answering. "I didn't want to seem like I was rubbing my relationship with Aaron in your face. I thought I might hurt you, Emily. And I never want to do that."

"So, how come you're telling me this now?" she asked, trying for a tone of indifference. Though, truthfully, she was ecstatic that she was about to get her friend back.

Another sheepish look. "Dave told me about the dates you've been going on. I thought… I thought maybe you're ok now?"

It hit her suddenly; she hadn't been ok before. Mopey and sad, she'd latched onto the idea of Hotch for the chance to bring her happiness. But she hadn't really done anything about her loneliness. But now… now she was taking charge. These dates, organized by Dave, were a step in the right direction.

"Yeah, I'm ok now," Emily stated confidently.

JJ smiled, the nervousness gone.

"More than ok, actually," Emily added happily. "I'm really looking forward to tomorrow night."

"Who's the lucky guy?" JJ wondered out loud.

Emily was confident enough to answer, "I have no idea. But I've got a real good feeling."

JJ came over and gave her an unexpected hug. Emily hugged her back, so glad to have her friend back. She pulled back from Emily, eyes shining brightly—Emily could tell the blonde was glad they were ok, too—and said, "I want to hear all about it, first thing Monday!"

Emily laughed. "For sure."

"All right, I've got to head out and pick up the boys," JJ said, lightly. "Good luck!"

Emily waved her off, resuming her packing, feeling even better than earlier. She pulled on her coat and grabbed her gloves, and was ready to be off when another creaking door caught her attention. This time, when she glanced up, it was exactly the person she'd wanted to see.

Dave gave her a smile and a wave. She waited for him as he climbed the stairs down, making his way towards her. Her gaze was zeroed in on him like it had been every time they were in a room together, ever since the weekend before. It was hard not to replay the end of that night over and over again in her mind when he was in her presence.

The kisses. The touches. The sighs and unsaid conversations. It was hard not to remember the feelings either. She'd been convinced that Dave was all she ever needed, all she ever would need. And as he made his way to stand directly in front of her, smirking playfully, those feelings were still there.

_But did he feel the same? Could he ever feel the same for her? She had no idea._ He'd been the one to stop their impromptu make-out session and to say that she had one more date to go on. And she'd reluctantly agreed. She trusted him completely, that was why. And she was still hopeful.

"Hey," he greeted her affectionately.

"Hi," she replied, voice full of warmth for the man.

"You and JJ ok, now?" he surprised her by asking. But then she remembered that JJ said it was Dave who had told her she was dating again.

"Yeah, thanks to you," Emily replied. "She was afraid being around me would hurt me…"

"I figured," Dave answered. "I let it slip that you were doing all right in the dating department…"

"Again, thanks to you," Emily said sweetly.

He chuckled. "Emily, you've really got to stop thanking me. I'm not as self-less and saint-like as the man you've made me out to be."

"Oh," she said looking at him quizzically. Wondering why he wouldn't accept her praise.

"Yeah," he replied simply.

There was a moment of charged silence between them where Emily willed him with her eyes to explain and Dave steadfastly refused.

"So," he started, instead, "Ready for tomorrow night?"

She smiled involuntarily. "Yeah, I think so. I feel good about this one and I have no idea why."

He smiled back. "That's good. Still, make sure you've got you're survival kit with you… with my track record… who knows?"

Emily laughed, mood still intact. "Sure, sure…"

"Good, well, I'll see you on Monday then…"

"What, not going to walk with me out?" Emily said in surprise and amusement.

He let out a sigh. "Trust me, there's nothing I'd rather do, however, Hotch wanted to see me about something…" He rolled his eyes causing her to laugh.

"All right, have fun…"

She started for the doors when he called out her name. "Emily."

She turned around mid-step, smiling. Her smile faded when she saw how intensely he was watching her. Gulping down her sudden desire, she said, "Ye…ah."

"I really hope you have a good weekend," he said, voice heavy with a meaning she couldn't decipher.

"Tha…nks," she replied.

Quickly, she left, before she did something crazy like rush into his arms to never stop kissing him.

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><p>I know it's short. And I know there's a couple of people who want to kill me for prolonging there agony. Lol. But, I felt this chapter was necessary to add in. So, I had to do it. I believe, and don't quote me on this, that the next chapter will be the last. Thanks to everyone who have been patiently following this story. :)<p>

Also thanks to everyone who is reviewing: **hot4booth; HansonFanGermany; greengirl82; canny-bairn; Longbourn22; babygurl0506; kbert1961; JotchProssi18; bobbin lace; racegirl17; and p95000.**

I will definitely be updating soon! (uh… don't quote me on that either)


	7. The Reveal

**A/N:** Hey all! Hope you enjoy this little chapter. Let me know what you think, thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 7: The Reveal:**

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><p>The sky was dark and the area eerily silent when Emily pulled up to the abandoned warehouse-like building. She looked out her driver's side window to stare up at the structure. Ok, it wasn't a warehouse and it didn't really have the rundown look of a warehouse, but it was huge and old. It looked to be a Victorian-like mansion, probably built in the late 1800's, but Emily was no expert in architecture so she wasn't sure.<p>

If it weren't for Dave being the one to tell her to meet her latest date here, she'd be cuing the Psycho-esque music right about now.

She took a deep breath, reminding herself that she trusted Dave completely and stepped out of her car. She climbed the steps up to the stately front door.

Dave hadn't given her much to go on for this date, which wasn't new. He told her to dress in whatever made her feel comfortable and beautiful—which she did; she was wearing a simple cotton dress, purple with a halter neck and on her feet were a pair of black, ballet flats. He'd also told her that her date would meet her at his home. And that was pretty much it.

She'd never once thought to stop and think that maybe meeting her blind date at his home was a strange concept. Emily had been too busy regaling in the good feeling of it all. And as she knocked on the door with an honest-to-God knocker she still couldn't shake the good vibe despite the strange setting/circumstance.

Emily waited patiently for the homeowner to answer, all the while trying to guess at who her date would be. All had been blast from her past or current acquaintances. So, it stood to reason that this next date was someone she knew.

She ran through a list of all the men in her life that Rossi knew of, past and present. And really no one provided her with the giddy feeling she'd had all week.

Emily pulled herself out of her thoughts when she heard some shuffling on the other side of the door.

_Here he comes, the person she'd been waiting for all week. The person who'd kept her cheerful and happy all week. The person she just knew with all of her being was—_

"Morgan?" Emily exclaimed when the door opened seconds later.

It was a major understatement to say that this was so not who she was expecting. She had so believed that it was— She cut that thought off, disappointment coursing through her. Emily shook her head as she stared up at the handsome man, nicknamed Chocolate Adonis by her good friend Penelope. She had no idea what to feel about this development. It was true that at one time—early on in their friendship—she'd come to consider Derek Morgan as a possibility. But it had become quickly apparent that Morgan was a free agent sort of man.

_Had things changed? And if so how did she feel about that?_

Morgan chuckled. "Well, don't look too happy to see me," he said sarcastically.

She flushed instantly, realizing how she must have looked. Aghast, would be a good word for it. But really how else did he expect her to look? Up until now all Dave's matches were random guys she'd briefly gotten know. This, standing in front of her, was Derek Morgan, her good friend and co-worker.

_This was… strange,_ she decided.

Derek took her coat, and hung it on the coat hanger by the door. "Follow me," Derek told her, still clearly amused by her reaction.

Well, at least she hadn't hurt his feelings with her less than enthused greeting. Maybe he felt the same about this that she did. That this set up was completely… wrong.

_But then why did he agree to it?_

She followed him, walking directly behind him, her eyes on his suit-jacket clad back. Never once taking her eyes off of the anomaly that was Derek Morgan.

_Was this what she was so excited for all week? How could she have gotten everything so wrong?_

"Here we are," Derek announced, forcing her out of her troubled thoughts.

She looked away from his back to stare around the room. Derek had led her to one of the most beautiful rooms she'd seen in awhile. Her life, recently, had been devoid of many pretty things.

The room was painted a deep burgundy color, the wall opposite them had two large windows that seemed to look out onto a garden. The windows were both covered with sheer, ceiling-to-floor, white gossamer like curtains. The burgundy and white made for a pleasant contrast. But what caught her eye the most was the sparkling, crystal chandelier hanging over the almost out of place small, round table, set as elegantly as the most elaborate dining room table.

The chandelier was many tiered and had so many crystals that the light coming from it was fragmented into a thousand separate beams. It gave the room an ethereal, other-worldly feel. It was simply breathtaking.

"Emily?" Derek said her name gently. She looked up, once again startled, to see that he was watching her carefully and with obvious affection. _Maybe… she should give him a chance…_

"Come have a seat," he told her gesturing to the table. He pulled out one of the chairs.

She nodded and took her seat. Derek came around to face her; he stood next to the second chair. She looked up at him completely nervous. They talked easily usually, but that was because he was her friend. But now on a date… she had no idea what to say or do. And despite thinking she should give him a chance she couldn't shake the wrongness of this all.

He continued to stand there. "Uh… aren't you going to sit down?" she asked anxiously.

To her surprise, he chuckled again. "Oh, I'm not your date, Em," he stated simply.

She forced her mouth not to drop open in dumbfounded surprise. Instead, she willed it to speak. "Yo… You're not?"

He laughed again. "Nope, just helping a friend out…"

"Who?" she demanded.

Derek gave her a look that clearly said, "That's for me to know and you to find out." It kind of infuriated her. But at the same time she couldn't help the sense of relief she suddenly felt.

Dating Morgan wouldn't be like dating her own brother, but it was close enough. They were just too close now for romance.

Derek started to walk away.

"Hey, where are you going?" she ordered.

He turned around mid-step and gave her a wink. Again she felt irritation at the man. Why didn't he just tell her what was going on?

Emily rolled her eyes at her situation. _Typical Emily, get your hopes up all week, only for them to come crashing down. How could she have been so wrong about things?_ That was it; she was done with men and dating all together. She would tell Dave Monday that she really couldn't take anymore.

So, why didn't she just get up to leave? The answer came from her heart. Because she still felt that this was it… her moment to grab happiness and never let go. She let out a huge sigh, telling her practical brain to cooperate with her whimsical heart just for a bit longer.

Emily was on the verge of relaxing, taking a sip of the water already at the table when more shuffling noises could be heard. Someone was coming.

Her heart began to race, the beats matching the rhythm of the footsteps she could now hear. _Was this it? Was this the moment she was about to get everything she ever wanted?_

The footsteps were loud now. She was seconds away from knowing if her heart was right or wrong. This was it, this was—

"Hey Emily," Reid greeted.

"Reid?" she practically shrieked.

She looked up at the skinny man, younger than her by almost ten years. She could have maybe believed that something could have once happened between her and Morgan, but never in her wildest dreams had she thought of Spencer Reid in that way. He was _exactly_ like her younger brother.

In no way was she going to sit here and play house with Reid. It would be… icky was a good word for it. She hastily began to get up. Dave was so not going to live this down. She was, she decided, going to kill him.

"Whoa, whoa," Reid began, completely surprised by her reaction. "What are you doing?"

She looked at him, his hands up in a plaintive gesture. "What am I doing? What are you doing? Reid you're like a little brother to me… what was Dave thinking? I've got to get out of here!"

Reid just continued to look at her quizzically. It seemed he just wasn't getting it. And it seemed she'd have outright hurt his feelings.

"Spencer," she began gently, softening her voice in hopes of softening the blow. "I'm flattered, really. But we can't ever be anything more than friends. I can't date you."

His reaction to her heartfelt statement was unexpected. First a frown and then a smile. She frowned in response.

"Emily, I'm not your date," Reid told her explicitly.

Her immediate reaction was to slump back into her chair and sigh in relief. And then as she looked up into his smiling face she became annoyed.

"What the hell are you doing here, then?" she asked tersely.

"I'm helping a friend," he replied nonchalantly, clearly oblivious to what the Morgan and Reid fake-outs were doing to her heart.

"Ok, I have a message for your… friend," she started venomously. "Tell him, if he's not out in the next minute I'm going to hunt both you and Morgan down and I'm going to do something suitably horrible to you both."

"O… Ok," Reid stuttered, turning quickly to go.

_Really, what was going on?_ She was more than a little fed up with everything.

"Uh." Reid had turned back around. He flinched at her glare. "Uh… I came out to see what you'd like to drink…"

Emily blew out a breath letting some of her hostility out with it. It wasn't Reid's fault she kept jumping to conclusions. She informed him of her drink of choice and he quickly went away.

"Ok, Emily," she said to herself, "I know you're waiting for the pre-ordained magic to start but please refrain from killing your friends."

Another sip of water had her calming down a bit.

_Whoever it really is better be worth it,_ she thought to herself.

She shook her head. She was able to admit now that her shock and anger at her two friends had stemmed from her belief that her date tonight was a certain older someone. And having those two come out instead only made her hopes seem that much more ridiculous.

Of course her date wasn't with _him_. He was her friend, her best friend and he only wanted what was best for her. And that was why she'd probably keep going on these set-ups, because it was him trying to give her the best in his own way. But, as her heart broke, Emily couldn't think of anyone better than him.

Completely dejected now, she'd have to pull out some major acting skills to not disappoint her date. She looked around her, for such a perfect setting it was hard to believe she wasn't about to get the most perfect night of her life.

* * *

><p>Reid had come and gone with her drink. She'd now been waiting for about five minutes. Apparently, her date didn't think she was serious when she'd said she'd do bad things to Derek and Reid. She would give him another thirty seconds to get out here. Unconsciously, Emily began to tap her fingernails against the table.<p>

Not even twenty seconds into her finger-tapping countdown she heard footsteps approaching. Emily, without even realizing it, suddenly held her breath. Because no matter how hard she tried to tell her heart to give up and shut up it still wouldn't. And Emily was suddenly frozen with the sheer anticipation of it all.

When finally the owner of the footsteps appeared her heart and brain had two very different reactions. Which resulted in a very unexpected reaction from her.

_Dave,_ her heart screamed in absolute joy. While her brain screamed his name in a more angry way. It all resulted in her letting out a strangled sounding sob when all he said was, "Hi Emily."

She couldn't help it. She'd been on such a roller coaster ride with her emotions this past month that to actually finally be seeing what she wanted in front of her and getting him was just too much to even hope for. It had to be a joke.

There had been a smile on his face when he'd first entered the room, she watched through teary eyes as the smile faded to be replaced with a frown and uncertainty.

He began to move towards her. "Emily, are you—"

But she held up a hand to stop his approach. He gave her a quizzical look, but she couldn't let him near her until she figured out if this was another fake out like Morgan and Reid or the real deal.

"Emily," he said her name so gently, so like a caress to her very soul.

She closed her eyes, savouring the way he made her feel just by saying her name, before opening them to look at him.

"Tell me—" she began, voice hoarse from emotion. "Tell me… it's you… tell me this is all you…" she said pleadingly.

He looked surprised, but happy. And when he gave her a simple nod in answer it was all she could do not to completely break down into tears and sobs from relief and happiness.

As it were, it became increasingly difficult to see. So, when she suddenly felt her hands being held ever so tenderly it came as a surprise to her to see that Dave was kneeling in front of her now, hands engulfing hers.

"Emily," Dave said sweetly. He let go of her hands to instead cup each side of her face. His thumbs skimmed away the tears, his touch leaving a tingling sensation behind. "Why are you crying?"

She laughed a watery laugh. "I… I wanted it to be you so badly…" she offered.

He gave her a warm smile. "I've always wanted you, Emily."

Dave pressed a kiss to her forehead, and once again she closed her eyes, taking a private moment to log away the feeling of complete joyfulness.

She had never known, she would have never even guessed at his feelings for her.

"Then why," she questioned, opening her eyes, needed some answers, "Why all the matchmaking? You could have just told me from the start…"

He raised an eye brow at her. "Could I?"

She blushed. Instantly, she was remembering a night where all she had done was mope and sulk because she'd wanted a different man.

Dave stood up letting go of her almost reluctantly. He came around the table to take his seat, finally. But it was like he couldn't get enough of touching her, because he reached across the table to take hold of her hand, entwining his fingers with her own.

"I wanted you, Em, I've wanted to be with you for awhile now," he explained, tenderly. "But, I needed you to see that Hotch wasn't the only suitable man in the world. And I needed you to come to that conclusion on your own. And you did?"

"Oh yeah," she assured. "I did."

He pulled her hand to his lips. "Good," he paused. "So, how are you feeling?"

She took in a shaky breath. This was what she'd wanted. This man sitting in front of her couldn't have been a better match for her if she'd moulded him with her own two hands. She felt deep inside her a contentment that she'd never really known. She was truly happy.

_Still…_

"I don't know what to say," she started, watching him begin to smile. "I mean I have half a mind to take out the mace and use it on you for what you put me through…"

His smile obviously faltered. He looked down.

"But…" she stretched it out, until he was looking at her again. She could see the hopefulness in his eyes. An exact match to her own. "You are the one I was hoping for. You're the one I want to be with. I… I care for you…"

"So, it was worth it?" he asked tentatively.

She grinned at him, thinking about her nightmare dates with Anderson, Rawson, and Cooper, they were her trials and tribulations. They were what she had to get past to get to this.

"Yes," she breathed out.

When Dave leaned across the table to capture her lips with her own she suddenly felt that magic she'd been waiting for ignite.

This _was_ it.

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><p>Well that's it for this chapter. I believe I want to do a fluffy epilogue. It will be short but it will be all EmilyRossi.

I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I couldn't resist teasing a bit more. Lol.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing: **every day i'm shuffling; kbert1961** (_I am pretty twisted. Lol.);_ **greengirl82** _(almost right!); _**p95000; Longbourn22** _(lol. I'm glad you enjoyed with the teasing and all)_; **Jotchprossi18; dakota1013; jekkah; DracoMalfoysSweetGirl92; and ilovetvalot.**

I will hopefully be updating soon.


	8. Epilogue

**A/N:** Hey all! So sorry for the wait for this last chapter, things got a little hectic around here. But, I'm back with this final chapter and I just wanted to thank all of you for reading, alerting and reviewing! And a big thanks to the people who nominated this story for Best Rossi/Emily fic for the Profiler's Choice Awards over at Chit Chat on Author's Corner. It was so unexpected and much appreciated. Thank you again!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Epilogue:**

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><p>Rossi watched the woman he loved sway to the music as she matched Derek Morgan's rhythm on the dance floor. She shot him a wink from across the floor to where he sat at his dimly lit table. Her wink told him she was putting on a show for him. And as she twirled around Derek's body he could admit he was definitely enjoying her display.<p>

"Uh oh, Rossi," he turned towards Kevin. "Emily's getting down with Derek. Aren't you worried?"

Rossi shook his head. "Nope."

He was sitting around the table with Garcia, Kevin, and Reid. JJ and Hotch were also on the dance floor.

"I don't dance," he informed. "Emily and I have an understanding. She gets to dance with whoever she wants as long as she goes home with me afterwards."

"Now, aren't you glad you took me up on my idea?" Garcia exclaimed, tone indicating she was so proud of herself.

Rossi gave her an incredulous, eyebrow raise. "As I recall, all you gave me was Anderson's name." The rest was all him.

"And that got the ball rolling, didn't it," Garcia replied, matter of fact-ly. "You're welcome."

Rossi rolled his eyes at her.

"Morgan and I helped too. We should get some credit, as well," Reid added.

"You should?" Rossi questioned. "How so?"

"We were at your house the night you two first had dinner together. We helped," Reid explained.

"Uh huh," Rossi spoke disbelievingly. "Wasn't that because you guys lost that bet we had? Remember?"

Reid's face flushed.

"Which bet?" Garcia wanted to know.

The last case they had had just before Rossi organized the very last date with Emily, the lead detective seemed to be lavishing quite a bit of attention on the two youngest men of the team.

Rossi had a bet with Morgan and Reid that by the end of the case she'd ask _Reid _out. Both Morgan and Reid bet that she'd ask Morgan. He'd been right in the end. And that's what he explained to Garcia. She laughed heartily at that and Rossi just knew that Morgan would be getting a healthy dose of teasing. Reid was already feeling the heat.

"What's so funny?"

Rossi turned his head to see that they were now joined by his lovely girlfriend. Emily looked flush and sexy from her exercise on the dance floor.

"Nothing really, I'll tell you later," Rossi brushed it off.

She leaned into him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm ready to go," she told him instead.

Rossi stood up, giving Kevin a 'see, I told you so,' look. And Kevin just nodded in return.

He held out Emily's jacket for her to put her arms through the sleeves.

"See you guys at work," Emily said, turning to go, as he gave them all a wave.

Emily hugged his arm to her body, as they strolled out of the bar they were in. It was the same bar that he'd told Emily to stop sulking in.

"Have I ever told you how much I love this place," she said, voice conversational.

"Really?" he said, in an 'I had no idea' voice.

She gave him a wry smile. "I had a lot of fun tonight. But, I wish you'd give the dancing a try."

He returned her easy smile as they pushed their way through the lobby. "Emily, I swear to God, I'm not lying when I say my dancing leaves a disaster zone in its wake. Do I have to tell you again about the Macarena fiasco of 1995?"

Emily laughed. "No, please no," she replied, shaking her head emphatically. "Still, I could teach you some moves…"

They reached the chilly outdoors and Rossi halted them on the snowy sidewalk. He slid his hands down her arms, pulling her close to his body. His lips pressed against hers in a sweet kiss, a kiss that said they had all the time in the world.

And they did. Matchmaking Emily with himself was the most genius thing he'd ever done. She loved him and he loved her and life couldn't be better.

He pulled away reluctantly, to see that her eyes were still closed and there was a pout on her face.

"You can teach me those moves at home," he suggested, voice husky.

Emily's eyes opened wide, a grin followed soon after. She took hold of his arm and pulled him in the direction of his car.

"Come on," she said hurriedly. "I so want to teach you the Samba…"

That was so not what he'd meant…

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><p>Well that's the end. I really hope you enjoyed this story. I really, really had a great time writing it, especially coming up with the disaster dates.<p>

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: **HansonFanGermany; greengirl82; Jotchprossi18; hot4booth; ChocoboMuffins; Longbourn22; p95000; kbert1961; and kdzl.**

And thanks again for the nomination!


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